Nationals part ways with Meneses, Vargas, Ward and Rucker

The Nationals made a flurry of transactions to clear up space on their 40-man roster this evening, parting ways with a couple of well-known veterans in the process.

Joey Meneses and Ildemaro Vargas both cleared outright waivers and chose to become free agents rather than remain in the organization. The same was true of Triple-A right-hander Michael Rucker, who declared for free agency after clearing waivers. Pitcher Thaddeus Ward, meanwhile, was claimed off waivers by the Orioles and has thus seen his time with the Nats come to an end.

Those moves, along with the activation of four players off the 60-day injured list (Joan Adon, Cade Cavalli, Josiah Gray, Mason Thompson) wrapped up an eventful first official day of the offseason, leaving the Nationals with 36 players on their 40-man roster as they prepare for what could be a far more active winter than they’ve experienced since embarking on their franchise rebuild in 2021.

The decision to part ways with Meneses and Vargas, while somewhat surprising in the latter’s case, underscores the organization’s desire to move on from veterans who helped the team get through these recent lean years and perhaps signals an intention to more aggressively attempt to field a winner in 2025.

Meneses, 32, became one of the unexpected cult heroes of the rebuild when the career minor leaguer was called up from Triple-A on the same day superstar Juan Soto was traded to the Padres. He proceeded to homer in his major league debut and finished with 13 home runs and a .930 OPS in 56 games to close out the 2022 season. He remained a productive hitter in 2023, though experienced a drop in power and finished those same 13 homers and a .722 OPS despite playing in three times as many games.

The 2024 season saw a steep decline in Meneses’ production, and after slashing just .231/.291/.302 in 76 games, he was optioned to Triple-A and was not recalled the rest of the year. With the Nationals likely to pursue a free-agent first baseman this winter, there did not appear to be a reasonable path back to the majors for Meneses.

Vargas, 33, also joined the Nats around the 2022 trade deadline and quickly became a trusted utilityman with a smooth glove and a knack for delivering some clutch hits. His offensive production also steadily declined over time, though, and over the course of 234 games the last three seasons he finished with a pedestrian slash line of .257/.302/.354.

Vargas, who was named the team’s winner of the annual Heart and Hustle Award this season, was under club control for one more season and was due a slight raise from the $1.1 million salary he made this year. The Nationals may believe they have viable alternatives already in their system in recently acquired infielder Jose Tena or Rule 5 Draft pick Nasim Nuñez.

The Nats had high hopes for Ward when they used the No. 1 pick in the December 2022 Rule 5 Draft on the former Red Sox prospect. The right-hander wound up staying on the Nationals’ major league roster more than the requisite 90 days in 2023, making 26 relief appearances (mostly in low-leverage situations) and finishing with a 6.37 ERA and 1.613 WHIP.

Having satisfied the Rule 5 roster requirements, the Nationals were able to option Ward to Triple-A this spring and gave him the opportunity to work as a full-time starter, believing he could have a future in that role. He struggled throughout the season, though, going 8-6 with a 5.64 ERA and 1.730 WHIP in 28 starts for Rochester. Along the way, he was leapfrogged by fellow starting prospects Mitchell Parker and DJ Herz, who both spent considerable time in the Nationals rotation during the season.

Rucker, 30, was a September waiver claim from the Phillies who pitched only four games in relief for Rochester and was never called up to the majors.

* GARCIA IS A SILVER SLUGGER FINALIST
Luis García Jr.’s breakthrough season was recognized by National League managers and coaches, who made him a Silver Slugger Award finalist for the first time in his career.

García was one of the top three vote-getters among NL second basemen, along with the Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte and the Reds’ Jonathan India. The winner will be announced Nov. 12.

Marte, whose .932 OPS this season ranked second only to Shohei Ohtani among all NL players, is likely to win the award at second base. García, though, is a worthy finalist. He ranked second among NL second basemen in batting average (.282), slugging percentage (.444), OPS (.762) and RBIs (70) and third in home runs (18). He was named the Nationals’ Player of the Year in a vote by media members near season’s end.

Only one Nationals second baseman has won a Silver Slugger in the last two decades: Daniel Murphy, who earned the honor in both 2016 and 2017. The team has produced 16 total Silver Slugger Awards in its 20 seasons in D.C., with Juan Soto the most recent winner in 2021.